Dalyell, right and wrong.

Tam Dalyell, the strongly left-wing and anti-imperialist ex- Labour MP, was not only the first person to pose the West Lothian question, but has also been opposed to the concept of Scottish devolution for all of his political career.

Writing in The Scotsman today, he makes the argument for a fourth option (in addition to independence, additional powers or the status quo) being included in any future constitutional referendum; he believes that the electorate should also be asked:

"Do you wish the Scottish Parliament to continue in being?"

Mr Dalyell’s article is a sound analysis of how we’ve arrived at the present chaotic situation; he is also correct when he says that:

But I believe people should be aware that if the Scottish Parliament now continues in existence, it does mean, sooner rather than later, the dismantling of the British state.

But at this juncture (or more likely in 2010), as a matter of pure tactics, the inclusion of such an option could prove counter-productive. During the referendum debate we will not be arguing about parliamentary niceties, we will be debating the secession of Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom- the choice offered should be as stark as possible and the focus of all unionism (whatever individual views may be on devolution) needs to be primarily on the defeat of the independence option. Once that happens, only then attention can be turned towards how best Scotland may be governed within the UK.